by Sophie Goodchild
Heroin has such a dirty, dangerous reputation. It is associated with squalid bedsits, infected syringes and a long stretch in prison. In the words of the Government anti-drugs campaign of the 1980s, 'smack', as it is known on the street, 'screws you up.'
Yet 50 years ago, possession and use of the opiate was legal for addicts. Chemists could dispense the powder over the counter without fear that they or their customers would be hauled off to jail. It was only in January 1956 that greater restrictions were placed on the drug including a ban on its import and export.
As recreational drug use became more commonplace, politicians decided they had to tackle this threat to the stability of civilised society and that the best route was through prohibition or a system of classification. That meant not just stiff penalties for anyone dealing drugs but also for those using them. That has pretty much been the approach of lawmakers ever since.
Alcohol use may lead to more violence and tobacco addiction to more deaths, but drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstasy - and, to a lesser extent, cannabis - have remained the main focus for Governments and their punitive policies. Controlling drug use, with the main emphasis on zero tolerance measures, has been a consistent strategy for Number 10 while at the same time successive Governments have largely avoided any significant national debate on the reasons behind the nation's drug habit.
...successive Governments have largely avoided any significant national debate on the reasons behind the nation's drug habit.
From middle-class 'weekend' users to problematic addicts on sink estates, it is no exaggeration to say that drugs are now a part of life for every section of society, with experimentation occurring earlier and earlier.
Despite attempts to restrict access to illegal drugs, the official statistics show that people have relatively little trouble getting hold of them. The latest British Crime Survey found that nearly 4 million people in England and Wales have tried class A drugs. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction revealed in November last year (2005) that Britain tops the league for cocaine abuse, with one adult in ten under 35 having tried the stimulant.
Where there is demand for illegal highs, there are plenty of unscrupulous individuals only too eager to oblige. One of the inevitable consequences of drugs prohibition has been the creation of a thriving black economy where criminal gangs are in control of fixing the prices. No other global trade creates such massive profit margins which can be as much as a staggering 3,000 per cent from production to sale. Not even diamond dealers or oil barons can expect to rake in that much.
For the high-earning city slicker, the price of a line of cocaine does not have much impact on their bank balance. Instead, it is those from disadvantaged backgrounds who have to beg, borrow or literally steal to fund their habits. And where there are criminal gangs competing for business, there are turf wars and rival combatants do not hesitate to resolve their battles with guns.
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